Essay #2

For Essay 2, you will continue to practice applying the concepts from the text to a personal experience. For this assignment, you will explain how a habit you have (or have had) follows the habit loop as explained by Charles Duhigg in Chapter 1-3 of his book The Power of Habit and come up with a plan to change this habit (or explain how you have already changed it) based on Duhiggs theories of habit change. In order to explain your habit and connect it to Duhiggs discussion of habits, you will have to explain a few concepts to your readers. Be sure to think about the various aspects of habit formation described by Duhigg, including the habit loop, craving, the Golden Rule of habit change, and the role of belief in habit change (introduction) What your habit is as well as how you plan to change it (thesis) Explain your habit in great detail. Connect it to the habit loop and how your habit follows this loop (body paragraph 1) The role of craving in habit creation in general and in your habit specifically (body paragraph 2) The Golden Rule of habit change and how you might change your habit according to this rule and the role of belief in habit change and how you might incorporate this concept into your plan to change your habit (body paragraph 3) Re-state main points, drive home why its important to learn about habits, and if/how you plan to change yours. Leave the reader with some final thoughts or things to ponder (conclusion) You should write your essay for people who are NOT in this class and who are NOT familiar with Duhiggs book. This means youll need to spend some time summarizing key ideas, defining any terms that might be unfamiliar, and choosing short quotations from the text to help your reader get a sense of what the author is talking about This essay is not just about explaining concepts; it requires you to apply Duhiggs theories to your own personal habit. This means you must analyze your habit and make a plan for change (or analyze a past habit and discuss the changes you have already made) by applying the information you learned about habits from Duhigg. A few things to remember: You should also include details, examples, and quotations from the readings to help you develop your analysis Talk about complexities for example, feel free to disagree with Duhiggs claims about habits, but be sure to fully explain your argument Must be MLA formatted You should do a little outside research (Google is your best friend here) and look up what other people say about habits and habit change